Coconut Milk Chicken Pot Pie

A million years ago, when I gave birth to Juliette in New Jersey, my friends kept us fed with homecooked meals for over a month. Every other day a new meal would be delivered, complete with kid-friendly desserts, bread, and salad. It was amazing, like a long draw-out community hug that ended right when Juliette began sleeping for longer stretches. Many of those dinners were added to my recipe roster, but the one that made the biggest impression was Alicia’s chicken pot pies.

The crust, dipped in the chicken stew, is the best part!

Chicken pot pies have long been a favorite in our house, but they were never homemade. We bought them frozen from FreshDirect, the online grocery delivery service for whom my husband worked at the time. The buttery featherweight crust seemed too fancy to achieve at home, especially on limited sleep. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how easy chicken pot pies are to make, thanks to frozen puff pastry dough. Chicken pot pies are now part of our quick and easy dinner recipes, either old-fashioned or some fancier variations like this coconut milk version.

The flaky crust on the coconut curry chicken pot pie is the best part.

Recipe: Traditional Chicken Pot Pie

Summary: Chicken pot pies are a great way to use up roasted chicken scraps.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Ingredients

1 cup of roasted chicken meat, cut up small

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/2 vidalia onion, diced finely

2 stalks of celery, diced finely

1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced

2 cups of chicken stock

3 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 package of frozen puff pastry dough

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove one sheet of puff pastry dough from the package and set on the counter to defrost, at least an hour.

Cut up the chicken meat, carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, not letting it brown, to cook off the flour taste. Pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Bring to a low boil and let thicken for 3 minutes.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushroom and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and the chicken stock. Mix well. Turn off the heat.

Unfold the defrosted puff pastry sheet. Cut into circles to fit over the ramekins you will be serving the chicken pot pies in. I use the ramekins themselves to cut the dough then stretch the dough slightly by hand to fit over the sides of the ramekins.

Ladle the chicken stew mixture into each ramekin. Top with the puff pastry dough.

Cook, until golden brown and puffy, for about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Coconut Milk Chicken Pot Pie

Summary: This very lightly curried chicken pot pie is a delicious variation on the traditional version.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Ingredients

1 cup of roasted chicken meat, cut up small

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/2 vidalia onion, diced finely

2 stalks of celery, diced finely

1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced

1 cup of chicken stock

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk, shaken

3 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 package of frozen puff pastry dough

1 teaspoon of curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove one sheet of puff pastry dough from the package and set on the counter to defrost, at least an hour.

Cut up the chicken meat, carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, not letting it brown, to cook off the flour taste. Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk and stir well. Bring to a low boil and let thicken for 3 minutes.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with curry, salt, and pepper.

Add the mushroom and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and the chicken stock mixture. Mix well. Turn off the heat.

Unfold the defrosted puff pastry sheet. Cut into circles to fit over the ramekins you will be serving the chicken pot pies in. I use the ramekins themselves to cut the dough then stretch the dough slightly by hand to fit over the sides of the ramekins.

Ladle the chicken stew mixture into each ramekin. Top with the puff pastry dough.

Cook, until golden brown and puffy, for about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

I just wanted to say thank you.. I’ve been looking for a coconut milk recipe and this sounded the best.. The coconut chicken pot pie, is probably the best thing i have ever made, absolutely delicious. Thank you..